There is a solitary outpost in Afghanistan known as "The Rock", short for Observation Point Rock (OP Rock). It's situated southeast of Patrol Base Hassan Abad. Sixty-five feet above the surrounding landscape it sits lonely and exposed on top of the ruins of an ancient medieval fort, made of mud and long since caved in. Arrow slits and turrets testify this piece of forbidding landscape has always been witness to battle, and the locals claim it dates back to the times of Alexander the Great (330 BC).

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